paper

The Wave Mechanics of Large-scale Structure

arXiv:astro-ph/0209576

Abstract

I review the basic ``gravitational instability'' model for the growth of structure in the expanding Universe. This model requires the existence of small initial irregularities in the density of a largely uniform universe. These grow through linear and non-linear stages to form a complex network of clusters, filaments and voids. The dynamical equations describing the evolution of a self-gravitating fluid can be rewritten in the form of a Schrodinger equation coupled to a Poisson equation determining the gravitational potential. This approach has a number of interesting features, many of which were pointed out in a seminal paper by Widrow & Kaiser (1993). I argue that this approach has the potential to yield useful analytic insights into the dynamical growth of large-scale structure. As a particular example, I show that this approach yields an elegant reformulation of an idea due to Jones (1999) concerning the origin of lognormal intermittency in the galaxy distribution.

18 pages, no figures, to appear in Proceedings of 9th Course on Astrofundamental Physics, International School D. Chalonge, Kluwer, eds N.G. Sanchez and Y.M. Pariiski, uses crckapb.sty

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